live, love, let die - Athos, casual

[JAMES MORIARTY EDWARDS]

James had been surprised when Detective Olivia Athos had been so willing to break her professional code and agree to go out to dinner with him. Well, he wasn't that surprised to be honest. He knew that he had gotten under her skin the moment he used her first name. Then baiting her with information that could put Winter behind bars again....James knew he had her hooked. He had thought that her professional intregrity was too strong to wear down in one meeting but he was obviously mistaken. It fed his already sizable ego, coercing a detective to go out with him even though he was her number one suspect.

This was going to work in his favor.

By agreeing to his proposition, Olivia had provided James with some much needed entertainment as well as an edge with the investigation. She had comprimised herself as a detective and would therefore have to remove herself from his case. If she didn't, he would call her supervisor and have her pulled. One less detective to worry about, leaving Holmes as his only contender. Seeing the detective in his classroom, James had considered this outcome as a faint possibility, not actually thinking it would happen. It was always James's intention to get Holmes thrown from the case for similar reasons but Olivia came first. Fresh eyes were more dangerous than the most apt minds.

Oh, he knew it was cruel, what he was doing. James wasn't interested in Olivia, not in the way he intimated that he was. He was gay, he was even what some would call a steady relationship, but James just couldn't resist. He missed a woman's company, to an extent. There was something about distinctly feminine mannerisms that could not be replaced. James was going to use Olivia as a way to humor himself, to battle the testosterone he was submerged in. There was no joy in the perils of life if there wasn't anything soft to heighten the thrill of overcoming. James was content with Sebastian, content with the sex and the fighting, but he needed to remember why he had changed so drastically. Women were fickle, annoying creatures, James knew this. But it had been so long since he experienced it, he wanted to make sure it still rang true.

Dressing to suit his lanky form and making reservations for a posh restaurant, James waited for Olivia to show up. He couldn't wait for the entertainment to begin.

[DETECTIVE OLIVIA ATHOS]

There was a checklist, a long fucking checklist that had been thrown Olivia’s way the moment she first sat down on that couch in the therapist’s office at the precinct. It was a full and comprehensive composition of all the things that Olivia needed to do before she could stop her sessions with the doctor. And although she had some qualms about psychologists being called doctors it was the only way she could avoid suspension so she signed the agreement. Most of the items on the list were against Olivia’s moral fiber and not to mention her professional integrity. Especially, this one.

“Go on a date with someone who seems totally wrong for you on all accounts and yet you feel some attraction to*”. Asterisk. There had to be an asterisk after every item on the list. This one said “No matter how small or insignificant the attraction”. Fuck therapists, man. They always had a knack for getting in your head. Although, that was their job, huh?

Zipping up the back of her cream colored dress Olivia couldn’t shake the feeling of self-loathing. Number one, she was a cop and he was a suspected criminal. Number two, he was a human being and using him this ways was wrong on oh so many accounts. Number three, hadn’t she dated a criminal before? Oh yeah, and she married him too. Number four, she found herself strangely attracted to him. And number five, she was a cop and he was a suspected criminal.

Seriously, what had possessed her to say yes? The thought of suspension kept circling her brain but, she wasn’t sure that was the whole reason. The truth of the matter, which Olivia certainly didn’t want to admit, even if it was only to her self, was that she just didn’t know anymore. Everything was so jumbled, so out of place, and Olivia was spinning out of control. She had Holmes to compete with, the Ripper to catch, James to figure out, and Winters on the run. Not to mention all the excess baggage that her brain had to deal with, the mounds of paperwork piling up at the office, and the chief breathing down her neck.

So in a way saying yes was the only logical thing to do. It gave her a reason to get dressed up, to get out of her apartment, and hell, maybe have a little fun. So long as she didn’t drink too much, this evening might prove to be both informative and enjoyable. James was quick-witted, an enigma, so the verbal judo would be an interesting component to the date. Oh god…

Olivia Athos was going on a date.

The world just might explode at any moment. She smoothed her part as she stepped into the taxi. He’d certainly picked a nice restaurant and she felt very pretentious and important when she told the cabby the address. As he pulled up to the place, Olivia took a deep breath, steadying her mind, body, and soul. Stepping out onto the curb she felt oddly calm. Her pale brown heels clicked sharply on the ground. They weren’t her usual style; she much preferred her black pumps for the office. However, tonight, she was enjoying the change of pace.

Pushing the door open a gust of air caught her hair and blew it up and around her face elegantly. It took her almost an hour to decided between an up-do and leaving it down. She straightened it and left it to cascade down her shoulders. Her green eyes caught the light of the chandeliers as she searched for James. It didn’t take long to find him, and not because Olivia was a detective. He looked incredibly dapper in his sleek black suit and charming smile. She wanted to kick herself as soon as the butterflies began to flutter in her chest.

This couldn’t be good.

[JAMES MORIARTY EDWARDS]

James had the waiter bring a bottle of red wine before Olivia arrived so he could have something to occupy his time with. He tasted three different bottles of wine before settling on one. He had just poured his first, chilled glass when Olivia walked in. James smiled, taking his time in looking Olivia up and down. He took inventory of every little thing on her person: her shoes seemed new and James doubted that they were used often, there was a small blemish on the inside of her knee (James pushed away the desire to run his fingers over it, just to test its texture), her cream colored dress suited her complexion but she seemed out of place in it, her hair was straight but askew, and she looked a delightful combination of fear and anticipation.

James rose from his seat as Olivia drew nearer, bowing slightly at the waist. He doubted that she had much contact with men who behaved properly and he wanted to play up that part. He wasn't the bad guy after all, Holmes was for sending her into a situation where she had no control. James just needed to endear himself to her even more than he already had. She was intrigued by him, far more than she should be and on a basis that was entirely unrelated to the Moriarty case. Olivia Athos was simply fascinated.

James extended a hand to Olivia, taking hers and kissing the back of it while his eyes never left her face. It was a common greeting, James used it often, and he wasn't going to change his habits. On a date or when meeting someone he was interested in, James always began with a kiss on the hand.

"You look quite lovely Olivia," James said lightly as he pulled her chair out for her, pushing it in slightly as she sat down. He retook his seat, unbuttoning his jacket as he sat down, and poured her a glass of wine as well. "I hope you don't mind but I've taken the liberty of ordering everything before hand. I'd rather not have our conversation interrupted,"

James had a feeling that Olivia would mind and he patiently awaited her reaction. Most women nowadays hated it when men ordered for them and Olivia was the epitome of the modern woman. Strong, self-made, devoted, independent...it would be a game of sorts trying to break her down. James did so like games, it was a way for him to keep his mind sharp. This game had added benefits of course, since his playmate was in the force. She had already been removed from the case from the moment she stepped into the restaurant (conflict of interest) now she was a source of information. James could get inside her head, learn what she knows and use it for his advantage.